New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora has told News18 that political parties should refrain from making Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and VVPATs the punching bags and said the Commission is ready to hold the 2019 Lok Sabha elections before the term of the House ends on June 3.
The Congress recently won Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh but even then it has not stopped complaining about the EVMs.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, soon after the election results, said doubts over EVMs remained as “a chip inserted inside the machine can be manipulated to alter the poll result".
“You have a countrywide electronic system and a chip installed in that system can be manipulated to disturb or affect the result of the entire poll... this is not possible in manual voting system. The central question relating to EVMs remains open and has been answered by the US and other countries who have rejected EVMs," Rahul said.
However, CEC Arora told News18 that EVM and VVPAT machines should not be made into a “football".
“I politely request that please do not make EVM and VVPAT football ... when X results come true then EVM is correct and Y result is a weakness in EVM, it cannot be done. I cannot stop what is said about the EVMs, but everyone is requested that if there is anything else that we should do, then we are ready to see it. All vehicles carrying EVMs and VVPAT in Lok Sabha elections will be tracked so that the 4 to 5 incidents that occurred this time can be avoided in 2019," said Arora.
However, Arora also said that everyone has views on EVMs and the EC “respects" such views.
CEC Arora has also ruled out the possibility of simultaneous elections in 2019 and said that provided all legal processes are in place 2024 could see one nation one poll.
“If legal provisions are complete, one nation one election may be a reality in 2024, but it cannot happen in 2019," said CEC Sunil Arora.
The CEC has also stated that the Commission is prepared to hold the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and that it would complete the process of elections before the tenure of the Lok Sabha ends on June 3, 2019.
“Election officials are taking a look at how many stages of elections are held. Everything is going on in a timely manner regarding the preparation of the Lok Sabha elections. The officers will start the presentation with the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections," CEC Arora told News18.
Comments
0 comment